Lt Col Alexander Vindman served honorably in the United States Army. Donald Trump has ended his military career. He and his twin brother have been treated despicably. Vindman’s testimony in the House Impeachment Inquiry was riveting. He and the folks at The Lincoln Project and VoteVets put together this great anti-Trump campaign ad.
Here is another anti-Trump ad from The Lincoln Project group. Please share. We here at Calamity News and Politics want to give a shout out to the former Republicans who are co-founders of the group. Thank you, Rick Wilson, George Conway, Steve Schmidt, Jennifer Horn, John Weaver, Ron Steslow, Reed Galen, Mike Madrid. It will take all of us that want to keep this a democratic country to come out this election and vote Joe Biden-Kamala Harris.
T.K. McNeil talks about the Michigan Kidnapping Plot. Trump is the first president that has encouraged terrorism and violence against a sitting governor, in this case, Gretchen Whitmer. Trump frequently encourages his supporters to break the law. While Trump tries to destroy the country at least some of the law enforcement groups believe the white supremacists are terrorists and needed to be treated as such.
Words matter. Talk can be both cheap or expensive depending on the context. All words are arbitrary in their invention but also vital in terms of their function which is to help understand existence. Which is why people can get quite irritable about words being used correctly. Misuse of words quickly leads to miscommunication. Something the last four years of Trump has shown us.
A favorite word tossed at Trump is fascism. A much used and seldom understood word. This is at least a linguistic issue, the original word being the Italian fascismo, roughly translated as fastening or togetherness. The main symbolism of the time being a bundle of sticks. One stick can be broken, a bundle of sticks cannot. A nice idea undercut by the fact that by fastening together, the members of a fascist society also close others out.
It is a question that has been asked before. Though as we get closer to Election Day and things might still go either way, it is still a productive exercise to try and figure out how we got to where we are today. Particularly with so many Trump Voters, particularly in swing states, suffering industrial strength buyers guilt.
The answer seems obvious. All the Trump voters are backward, racist, sexist, idiots who don’t know what’s best for them. A ‘basket of deplorables’ as Madam Clinton once put it. This is a mistake. Not only is it reductionist and prejudiced, the very things most accuse Trump of being, it is also wrong. I don’t mean wrong in the modern sense of things that make people feel icky. I mean it in the far more basic, Aspie way of false as according to the evidence. There are simply too many people of various groups, including those whom Trump has attacked, supporting him for this to be the whole story.
If anything, the less savory things Trump has said or done are incidental to his support. Not that what he did doesn’t matter. It does in terms of general morality but a lot of things are a matter of priorities and he has other aspects that outweighed his misconduct. At least in the minds of those who prioritize such things. One of the things a lot of critics overlook is his focus on jobs. Particularly in places like Michigan. A state in which things have been so bad for so long, the condition of cities like Flint have been referred to as ‘economic terrorism.’ A situation which makes it easier to understand Trump’s support despite his desire for a border wall or his opinions on where it is okay to touch female strangers. Even if they ‘let’ you.
Dave is back and he’s ready to give it to Donald Trump. The only “loser” and “sucker” is that orange biscuit sitting in the White House. Tune in every Sunday for Dave’s Take On The World.
There are mysteries that have yet to be revealed to mere mortals. Like, how do they get the caramel in the Cadbury Caramilk bar? Or, how much wood would, indeed, a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck, could, in fact, chuck wood? Another mystery of gargantuan proportions, is how someone as unabashedly baffoonish and obscenely unqualified as Donald J. Trump, could be elected to the highest office in the land. “Leader of the Free-World” a bit too arrogant and, well, bullshit, to be taken seriously. There are many theories. Some crack cocaine nonsense, while others more reality-based; though the reality may be much stranger than anyone ever suspected.
If you ask a Trump supporter why they like him, they are likely to say some version of “he’s a great businessman” despite him having gone through bankruptcy six times. Or, perhaps, “he’s an honest man in a den of thieves,” despite Trump agreeing to pay 25 million dollars to plaintiffs for seemingly illegal activities in the Trump University case. Common sense seems to have no effect on the electorate when it comes to Donald Trump. He has become a joke, and the joke seems to be on the United States. But who cares, at least he’s not a politician. The general distrust of “establishment politicians” goes back to the founding of America. Even George Washington, the pillar of Americana, as blasphemous as it may now seem, was often lambasted during his life. The cartoonists of his time, choosing to point their poisoned pens at him as often as at any other mortal man.
It takes the sense of a perceived attack to bring the issue of civil rights into focus. The measures used by states to stop the spread of COVID-19 and save lives are now being challenged as unconstitutional. Those arguing against lockdown whining about their rights to do things that aren’t actually rights by any known criteria. Trump tacitly supporting all of them, as part of his half-cocked campaign to downplay the pandemic crisis in case it makes him look bad. While in fact, magnifying the fact that he is an incompetent boob who is not qualified to run a school bake sale, let alone a country.
Most recently, Trump has hitched his rickety re-election wagon to the push to reopen churches. A notion on par with putting oil drums in front of the target on shooting ranges, in terms of terrible and deadly ideas. How many pastors and parishioners need to die before people get it though their heads that meeting in large groups in an enclosed space with an airborne disease killing tens of thousands is not the best of ideas? The right to religious freedom not at all withstanding.
That isn’t to say that the right to religious freedom isn’t important and should be, or indeed has been, suspended. Trump has said, “we need more prayer, not less,” but I know lots of religious folks who know full well that this is a false dichotomy. One does not need to be in church to pray. And if there is anyone who is praying less because their holy house of choice happens to be closed at the moment, says more about them and their religious conviction. Trump’s statement is yet another example of the depths of his religious ignorance, including and especially the one he claims to practice in a cynical attempt to appeal to his evangelical Christian base. Going so far as to argue that church is an “essential service.” An absurd statement, not least in terms of the separation of church and state.
Despite the government order to stay at home, I am still connected to the world via newspaper, wi-fi, streaming TV, Facebook, Twitter and cell phone.
Despite being on “stay home, stay safe” orders; I am still attached to the world via newspaper, cable television, Twitter, wi-fi and cell phone. Things are coming at me too fast and too furious for my liking. I am bobbing and weaving, when I should be writing, researching, petitioning and organizing.
I watched the Trumpster conduct another overly long and contentious Coronavirus Task Force press briefing this afternoon. Trump, was arguing and fighting with the reporters. Insulting their race, their intent, and their talent. At one point, Trump pushed Dr. Fauci aside, telling a reporter to stop asking “the same question.” “He’s answered that question, fifteen times.”
A clever person once said, “elect a clown, expect a circus.”
The question reporters and the public keep asking is why is Trump touting the unapproved anti-malarial medication, hydroxycloroquine for coronavirus treatment? If these briefings were ever informative they have dissolved into what one reporter described as a “three-ring circus with Trump as the deranged ringmaster”. This is what happens when a narcissist takes over the government of a country.
Watching the now daily Trump “circus” via television is like so many of those other WTF moments I’ve experienced during my life. I’ve thought how things, common things, deliver a “doesn’t that figure moment.” So, I decided that maybe, just for laughs, I should point out some of the those WTF moments. Here are a few that I came up with. I’m sure everyone has a list of their own.
My list of WTF moments are really just daily irritations and small injustices. Most are funny and a bit annoying, but not life threatening. I wish I could say the same about what I am hearing come out of the mouth of Donald Trump. I am convinced more every day, that he is the most dangerous president we have ever had.
RESIST, it is more important today that ever before.
There are times that I want to put a bucket over Donald Trump’s head just to shut out the noise.
I have watched Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force briefings for the last three weeks or four weeks. I think the first one I watched was on March 10th. For some reason they just keep getting longer and more ridiculous. Over the last week I have gotten in the habit of turning off the volume when I see that Trump is about to start talking. Truthfully, every time he opens his mouth I can’t shut off the volume fast enough.
Yesterday, I watched the briefing without turning off the volume. I have no idea what I was thinking. While the CDC is now recommending that citizens wear face coverings, to protect others, Trump says he will not be wearing one. As usual, Trump has totally missed the point of the face covering. He went on a rant about the ‘resolute desk’ and then said he “couldn’t see himself wearing a mask”, while he was meeting, “kings, queens, and dictators”. I don’t know how those world leaders feel, but I know I would like to see him shut up and put a bucket over his head.
Trump obviously thinks more of a photo-op than the safety and well-being of those he is coming in contact with. He however continued, that those who want to wear a face mask are free to do so. Leadership at its worst, and most dangerous. I will be wearing a facial covering, because I want to protect people I may come in contact with. Many of those people are relatives and friends that I love and want to safeguard.
This week I have been on YouTube learning how to make masks out of men’s handkerchiefs. I have practiced how to make those face coverings, and although I’m a bit clumsy, I think I’ve got it. Some suggest placing a section of paper towel in between the layers of your homemade masks. I will do that also. It is such an easy extra step. Whatever the experts tell me to do, I will do. I was an RN for nearly 40 years. I take the advice of medical professionals seriously. RT’s (respiratory therapists), doctors and other nurses’ advice is usually pretty damn good.
The focus of my blog is the American political system. The blogger’s life is a good life, most of the time. There are times however, when U.S. politics and political rhetoric saps a person’s patience and energy. Currently, I am outraged that Donald Trump is using the Coronavirus Task Force briefings to promote his own political interest. Political spin is not appropriate at this moment. I hope that television outlets begin to give Democratic front-runner Joe Biden more TV time.
Today, I am taking a break from politics to think about something else for a few minutes. I know that Trump will soon hijack the airwaves, with another briefing. I’m just going to take a deep breath, and try to keep a positive frame of mind. As a distraction for myself this morning, I began compiling a few interesting trivia facts about America. Enjoy. Continue reading
"If puppies and kittens don't make you smile, you might consider therapy." D. S. Mitchell 2015.
I Barely Have Time To Walk The Dog
Self-isolating has forced us to turn even more to telecommunication and social media.
The Major Cause Of Sex Trafficking Is Poverty
Many great charities, here are a couple that I support: Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund, ACLU, and Planned Parenthood.
